Sandy watched in numb silence as she pulled herself from his arms and walked away, the bottle hanging from her delicate
fingertips. What had happened to her? Where was the woman he had married all those years ago? He felt a single tear slide
down his cheek, not for his father-in-law, but for his wife. She had always had a dark side, the part of her where she hid
away the pain that she couldn't bear to deal with. He had seen it there, behind her eyes. The drinking had developed because
of that. It was an attempt to numb the hurts that plagued her - to escape, just for a little while, the self-hate that enveloped her.
But somewhere inside him, Sandy held on to the hope that together, they would get her through this. That between him and
the boys, she would beat it...But it was only a hope.
As Kirsten walked away, picking up the bottle as she went, she was painfully aware, underneath the shock, that by doing this,
she was destroying her family. She had known it since...she couldn't even remember when. But no matter how much she
wanted to stop, to escape from the clutches of whatever depression she was in and go back to the days when she was
happier, something always happened, and she found herself once again, bottle in hand, staring in disbelief as she realised she
had unknowingly drunk her way through the better part of yet another mickey.
But this time, she had not even taken a sip, not yet unscrewed the cap of the clear, biting alcohol which would bring her relief,
when Sandy sat down beside her and wrapped his arms around her in a simple, comforting gesture. He was entirely there for
her. Despite that fact, Kirsten could not erase the comments he had made only a few minutes before. She didn't return the
gesture. Just sat in his arms, staring straight ahead of her as tears brimmed in her eyes, finally overflowing. Something broke
inside of her, and sobs began to wrack her small body as her grief and hurt mixed together and rushed out of her. Silently,
Sandy gathered her to his chest and rocked her gently. She let him. Yet, despite their closeness, neither of them had felt, since
the day they were married, so desperately and utterly alone.
